2011 census: Nearly one in five Canadians are visible minorities, StatsCan reports 0

OTTAWA — For the first time since Confederation, you can pick any five people at random in Canada and at least one of them won't be white.

Statistics Canada's 2011 National Household Survey has found that about 19% of the country's total population is now a "visible minority" — an almost three-point increase from 2006.

"Among the immigrants who came before 1971, 12.4% were members of visible minorities," said Statistics Canada analyst Tina Chui. "Among the new immigrants, those who came in the last five years between 2006 and 2011, 78% were members of visible minorities. So, there's a big increase."

The percentage of foreign-born people in Canada is also up from 2006, surpassing 20% for the first time ever in 2011.

For G8 countries, Canada has the highest proportion of foreign-born population, followed by Germany and the United States, according to the report.

Outside the G8, Canada was second only to Australia in the proportion of foreign-born residents.

The census points to Asia is the largest source of immigrants to Canada, with newcomers from the Philippines, China and India making up the lion's share of that group.

Toronto is still the strongest magnet for newcomers to Canada, taking in about one third of all newcomers in the latest census, though that's down from about 40% of immigrants in the 2006 report.

Newcomers are increasingly choosing Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal to set down roots in Canada.

"At the same time, when we look at population trends, these cities are also experiencing population growth," said Chui.

While Canada's face has changed, Christianity remains the predominant religion in the country.

More than two thirds of Canadians identify with some Christian denomination, though Chui said that's down in the last decade.

"Compared to 2001, the last time religion data were collected, 77% at that time reported (that they were) Christian," said Chui.

Chui said immigration is a key factor in pushing Islam up as the religion of 3.2% of the population in Canada, up from 2% in 2001.

Almost a quarter of Canadians report no religious affiliation now, compared to 16.5% in 2001.

"When you look at new immigrants, those who came in the last five years, almost one in five "¦ reported that they had no religious affiliation," said Chui.

Statistics Canada said the top source country for recent atheist immigrants is China, where Christianity and other religions are actively suppressed by the Communist dictatorship.